Toe protector



April 22, 1952 KIWAD 2,593,767

TOE PROTECTOR Filed Dec. 14, 1948 2 SHEETS-SI-EET l INVENTOR. lsodorKiwod ATTORNEY April 22, 1952 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

ISCldOI' Kiwod ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE TOE PROTECTOR Isador Kiwad, Westwood, N. J.

Application December 14, 1948, Serial No. 65,250

This invention relates generally to devices adapted to be worn upon thefeet to protect the members thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved toe protectorincluding a main body portion with a-plurality of extensions carried bythe main body portion and adapted to extend between adjacent toes of thefoot, thus affording protection therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved toe protectorincluding a plurality of toe shields adapted to extend between adjacenttoes of the foot to protect the surfaces thereof and to provide a degreeof mutual spacing therebetween, the toe shields being carried upon amain body adapted to underlie several of the toes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toe protector whichincludes a main body of soft material and a plurality of toe shieldswhich are themselves removable and capable of being moved to any desiredportion of the main body to accommodate less than all the toes asneeded.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a toe protectorwhich acts as an insulator between the toes, reduces perspiration andprevents corns therebetween.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toe protector which issimple in design, inexpensiveto manufacture, and efiective for thepurpose intended. v e

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description of a preferred embodiment thereof asillustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of my improved toe protector, a portionbeing cut away to illustrate its construction,

Fig. 2 is a right end elevation of the toe protec tor shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the toe protector of Fig. 1, the right handpair of ,toe shields being removed,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a single pair of integral toe shields spreadout flat,

Fig. 5 is a developed fiat view of the blank from which the main toeprotector body is formed, prior to rolling it up and stitching it asshown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, but showing one of the pairsof toe shields removed, and the other moved to the central two openingsin the main body,

Fig. '7 is a perspective fragmentary view of a portion of a foot with myimproved toe protector in position thereon, I

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the foot of Fig. '7, showing the toeprotector in position thereon as seen from underneath the foot,

5 Claims. Cl'. 1 2881) to Figs. 5 and 9 but illustrating still anotherform of my invention,

Fig. 13 is an elevational view of the Fig. 12 form of invention showingthe same assembled and showing one of the toe shields twisted foreffective use, and

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the form of my invention shown in Fig.13 and illustrating the effective use of the same.

In the treatment of foot ailments, it is frequently observed that somerelief may be obtained if some material is placed between the toes tospace apart their adjacent surfaces. This will lessen the danger ofinfection, prevent corns between the toes, and may also straighten outhammer toes. The present invention discloses means for accomplishingthese desirable results at low cost.

In order to understand clearly the nature of the invention, and the bestmeans for carrying it out, reference may now be had to the drawings, inwhich like numerals denote similar parts throughout the several views.

7 As seen, in Figs. 7 and 8, there is the foot Ill, having toes numbered[2, l4, l6, l8 and 20 respectively. My purpose is to provide means foreffecting the objects of the invention with relation thereto. First, Iform a blank 22 as shown in Fig. 5, for the main body 24 of the toeprotector. The blank 22 may be formed of any suitable soft sheetmaterial, such as felt, cotton, silk, rayon, nylon, wool, any knitted orwoven fabric, or even rubber, wood, leather or plastic fabric. Feltedmaterial has certain obvious advantages, being soft and pliable, and maybe preferred, though the other materials may also be used, and may havecertain advantages or special desirability for certain purposes.

The blank 22 has sides 24, 26, 28 and 30, the two corners thereof beingcut off as shown at 32 and 34. In addition, openings are formed in theblank as at 36, 38 and 40, and an indentation is formed in side edge 26at 42. The blank 22 isithen rolled up in the manner shown in Figs. 1,2and 3, with the edge 30 outermost, and stitched in position to one ormore of the other layers by stitching 44, to permanently retain therolled form.

Looking at Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the openings 36, 38 and40 now afford access to the inside of the roll 24 beneath the top layerfor the insertion and removal through said openings and the partial endopening 42, of the shield bodies 48, shown in plan flat, in Fig. 4.These shield bodies 48 include two toe shields 50 and 52 -integral withthe web portion 54 which is somewhat narrower as shown, these bodiesalso being made of soft material, such as felt, or other materialsimilar to that forming the roll 24.

Openings 56 may also be formed in the toe shields 50 and 52 as shown, toprovide ventilation, and also to accommodate corns where needed. One ofthe toe shield bodies 48 is shown inserted through the two left handopenings 36 and 38 so that its web portion 54 underlies the roll surface60 therebetween as in Figs. 1 and 2, with its toe shields 50 and. 52upstanding as illustrated, to extend between toes I! and I4, and i4 and16 respectively. Similarly, the. other toe shield body is inserted asshown in Fig.1, between openings 40 and'42, with its toe shieldsoutstanding for insertion between toes l6 and I8, and I3 and 20respectively. z

The main body or roll 24 lies beneath'the toes, as seen best in Fig. 8,in the space-located thereat on the foot, being hence held impositionagainst dislodgment. If it is desired to protect only some of the toes;then one toe shield body may be removed, and the remaining one left inposition, or moved to the center two openings, as shown in Fig. 6,depending upon which toes are to be protected. i

In Figs. 9 through 13 I have shown a modified form of my invention whichin principle is similar to that shown and described in connection withthe Figs. 1 through 8 form of inven:-

tion above described. As noted in Fign9ithev blank 60 fromwhich the mainbody or roll 'BI.

is formed comprises a main body portionand integral tabs t2 extendingfrom opposite sides, the said tabs being adapted to be used as toeshields when desired by folding the same. inwardly from their full linepositions 62 shown in Fig. 11" to their dotted line position v62 Asnoted in Fig. 9, the main body portion of the blank 60 is provided witha pair of transverse slits 63 and B4 paced apart. a distance from eachother equal to the distance of each slit from its adjacent transverseedge 60a ofithe blank 60. The opposite longitudinal edges of. the mainbody are rolled inwardly toward each. other as shown in Fig. 11 with thesaidslits 63xand. 64 uppermost, the saidslits 63 and .64 being .designedto receive therethrough the: hieldiunit 65 shown in blank in Fig.10,.which is'similar in function anddesign to that. of the unit shown inFig. 4. Thesaid unit 65 comprises a pair oftoppositely extendingshields'EB and 61 interconnected by a neck portion 68.

In Figs.'12 through 14' I have shownl'stilLanother modified form of myinvention in which the distinguishing feature is to be found in. thefact that the entire toe protector is formedfrom a single blank.Such-blank l0 isshownin Fig. 12 and comprises a main body portion Hadapted'to be rolled into a longitudinal r'oll H (see Fig. 14)and'h'aving abottom longitudinal edge 12, transverse edges 73 and a toplongitudinal'edge I4. Integral with and projecting upwardly from thetop'longitudinal edge 14 are four-toe'shields 15, 16, 11 and 18, similarin design "and function to that of the shields-50, 52, 62 66 and 61-..As noted in Fig. 13, when the main body portion .11 is rolled into thelongitudinal roll ll theesaid toe shields 15 to 1B are normally flatandinvthe same plane as that of the main body portion 1 I. However,'whenusing the toe protector the roll 1 l is placed under and across the toesand the shields are then twisted to lie in a plane'at right angles tothat of its normal form. In Fig. 13 I have shown only the shieldv 71twisted, whereas in Fig. 14 all of the shields have been twisted foreffective positioning between the toes.

It will be seen that by the use of my device, ample protection isafforded for the toes, at low cost, with maximum convenience andcomfort.

Although I have described my invention in specific terms, it will beunderstood that vari ations may be made in size, shape, materialsandarrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas claimed.

I. claim:

1. -A:toe"protection device comprising a longitudinal main body portionmade of yieldable material; a-plurality of toe shields extendingupwardly fromsaid main'body portion and adapted to hex-disposed betweenpairs of adjacent toes, said main body portion comprising a fiat sheetofrmaterial rolled up on itself to form a member which is resilient topressure and also bendable alongits length and thereby adapted to lieacross the .under surface of, the toes and in the hollow areas at thebasesthereof, and means forming a part of said device for maintainingsaid main body such; rolled up condition.

2;"Atoe protection device comprising a main body formed of soft sheetmaterial rolled upon itself, fastening means forming a part of saiddevice for securing said sheet material in roll formagainst-,unrolling,- and having a" plurality of openingsjformed in saidrolled body, at least one toe shield body carried by said rolled mainbody andengaging at least some of the said openings, and including toeshields integral with said toe shield body and adapted to project fromsaid rolled main body between adjacent toes of the foot. r

3. The construction according to claim 2, characterized further in thateach toe shield body comprisesra pair of toe shields integral with andinterconnected by a central web portion.

4. The process of forming a toe protector, comprising the steps'offorming a blank of sheet material having 'at :least four sides, forminga pluralityof openingsin said blank, rolling said blank upon itself to.form a main rolled body with saidopenings exposed to view from theoutside, securing said roll against unrolling, forming toe shield bodiesincluding toe shields interconnected by a central web portion, andinserting atleastone 'ofsaid shield bodiesthrough adjacent of saidopenings with its toe shields projectlng from the rolled body.

5. A. toe protection device according to claim 1 in which the said mainbody and said toe shields are formed from a single sheet of material.

ISADOR KIWAD.

REFERENCES crrnn The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: g

UNITED STATES PATENTS

